This plan puts all the burden on Manhattan residents. Manhattan Senators should oppose this plan, make a deal with Skelos and the Republicans.

GET A SPINE MANHATTAN DELEGATION!

oscarfrye

raises?

oh please

Glenn

If we have a graduated income tax to support the MTA by geography, I think it is only fair to ask those who live further away from their destination to pay more. $4 from Jamaica to Manhattan. $1 from Penn Station to Grand Central.

I want to MTA to open its books on the average cost per ride on every individual bus and subway line. I think it’s something like $4 for a bus ride in Staten Island and Eastern Queens while it’s less than $1 for a crosstown Manhattan bus.

C’mon Manhattan delegation, where are you? Holding all your chips for something more important maybe? What might that be?

Larry Littlefield

Meanwhile, while the New York State legislature moves to raise taxes on young workers to make up for the big party older generations had, the federal goverment plans to give GM $5 billion for a bankruptcy restruturing.

As part of that restructuring, bonds (mostly held by affluent seniors seeking tax exempt income), pensions and retiree health care (which had been among the richest in the country) would take losses. Because GM can’t simply forced its customers to pay more for less, like the State of New York. I’ll bet Michigan taxes retirement income too, though this is uncertain. Most states and the federal government do.

I am, oddly, surprised to find out that New York State law does not already require drivers to find out what they hit when they have a collision.

The response of the AAA guy is a beauty. Most drivers, he says, are responsible enough to find out what they hit without a law. And yet he opposes a law requiring what he says is an irresponsible minority of drivers to do so as well?

Maybe we could apply this to other things, too. Most people are responsible and considerate enough not to shoplift anyway, so why should there be a law against it? Most people have enough of a conscience to not go around picking fights with random people, so why have a law against that? Or nudity. Most people would still wear clothes, even if there were no laws against indecent exposure.

Re. “Assembly Considers Bill Requiring Drivers to Stop and Check What They Hit”:

Aren’t drivers already required to do that? How about a law that actually punishes people for hitting things?

Re. “Raises for TWU Not Looking Very Likely This Year”:

So? Nobody else is getting raises either.

Re. “Bloomberg: I’ll Help Pass an MTA Rescue, on the Down Low”:

I guess that’s good? I’m sure Bloomberg must know that bridge tolls are, on some level, similar to congestion pricing, so perhaps he’ll find a way to push to get those back on the table.

fdr

“I’m sure Bloomberg must know that bridge tolls are, on some level, similar to congestion pricing…”
What Bloomberg probably knows is that bridge tolls are similar to congestion pricing in that the Legislature won’t pass either.

Larry Littlefield

“Great news about the NYC BikeShare study!”

You can’t help but notice the difference between the news about mass transit, where the pols are softening us up to accept long-term decline and higher taxes, and private automobiles, where rising subsidies are required to slow a stunningly rapid decline, with all the great news about bicycles.

It comes down to low public and private capital costs, and near zero public and private operating costs. Past generations are making us poorer. The bicycle is a solution that avoids us becomming worse off in reality. We’re going to need lots of solutions like that in the wake of Generation Greed, individually and collectively, across a wide range of goods and services.

Not only is the bicycle cheap relative to other forms of transportation, it’s also cheap relative to other forms of exercise, whether at a health club or on one of those home machines. Every few of the good machines (say eliptical) are cheaper that a hybrid bike set up for commuting, and none are less boring.

Who is to say our public recreation facilities won’t go the way of public transit? The wall I play paddleball against at Greenwood Park is a wreck since they paid a contractor to rehab the park, with no repair in sight, and I’d expect sports and gym to be among the first public school services to go once the cost of the 55 pension can’t be ignored anymore.

This should be in today’s headlines. Marcia Kramer on Channel 2 did an expose on Pedro Espada. It seems he actually lives in Mamaroneck, not in his district. I didn’t see it but the transcript is at http://wcbstv.com/politics/pedro.espada.nys.2.989665.html. Apparently he tried to hide his identity by pulling out of his driveway while holding a baby in front of his face.

fdr – thanks for the link on Espada. I love it when a politician tries to evade identification by holding a baby in front of his face….

gecko

“Great news about the NYC BikeShare study!” despite that the advised phased implementation is decidedly reserved and incremental; though, likely to lead to significant transformation and immediate benefit.

Ian Turner

The last TWU contract included a 27% pay raise, among other goodies, so it’s no surprise they are upset that the party won’t continue.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Ian, Who are you, Toussaint’s publicist?

Ian Turner

Niccolo,

I’m quite surprised that my comment came across as supporting the TWU. I consider the 27% pay raise outrageous, and find it beyond belief that the TWU thought it was appropriate to strike in pursuit of more still.